Diaper



July 13, 1948. A L BEST 2,444,973

DIAPER Filed A0Gt,. 16, 1945 Alf TL. B557' A Trop/VD Patented July 13,1948 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFlcE DIAPER Albert L. Best, Darien, Conn.Application October 16, 1945, Serial No. 622,530 1 claim. (C1. 12s- 284)This invention relates in general to diapers and more particularly todiapers of the type having an outer relatively permanent waterproofbacking sheet and an inner disposable absorbent pad and to correlatedimprovements designed to enhance the use of the same. It has alreadybeen proposed to produce diapers of the particular type above mentionedin one of the prior embodiments. n

In one embodiment of such prior articles the outer waterproof sheetingcomprises a layer of fabric coated on one of its surfaces with awaterproof composition, the sheet material being cut in a substantiallydumbbell shape and provided with pockets at each end adapted to receivethe ends of a rectangular disposable absorbent pad. Diapers of this typehave many disadvantages. In the rst place, the coating of this materialstilfens the fabric to an undesirable extent. The sharp edges of thestiiened fabric cause such chang of the child that the edges must becovered by a strip of softer material or folded into a hem. Furthermore,because of its stiffness, the fabric does not drape and stretchsufficiently to enable it to be constricted between the childs legs asis necessary for a proper t. In view of this, it is necessary with suchcoated materials to cut away the center and give the outer sheeting adumbbell shape. Such shape, however, does not afford complete protectionagainst leakage. Finally, such prior diapers are not provided with asimple and efficient means for holding the absorbent pad in properposition in the .pockets so that the pad has a tendency to shift, or forone end to 'become disengaged.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide adiaper having a waterproof outermost non-fibrous lbacking sheet and adisposable absorbent pad temporarily held on its inner surface, whichbacking sheet is flexible and substantially elastic tok permit .propershaping of the diaper to the body of the child without chafing and whichwill aiord complete protection and insure proper positioning of theabsorbent pad.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waterproof diaper havinga disposable pad which will be economical to produce, eflicient in use,and free of the objectionable features of prior articles of this type.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will inpart appear hereinafter.

According to the present invention, there is provided a diapercomprising an outermost rectangular backing sheet of thermoplasticnonfibrous material having the ends turned back upon the body to formpockets, and a disposable absorbent pad adapted to have its endsdisposed in the pockets, the pockets being seated at points adjacent theedges of the pad to maintain said Ipad in proper position with respectto the waterprooi backing sheet.

In one embodiment the pockets are sealed on each side so as to leave anunsealed space which is narrower than the width of the disposable pad,and the longitudinal edges of the pad are cut to accommodate the sealedareas whereby the pad is locked within the pocket.

In another embodiment of this invention a layer of fibrous sheetmaterial is sealed within a portion of the pockets of the outer backingsheet to provide areas of greater strength for pinning the diaper.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of theinvention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure l is a top plan view of one embodiment of the blank used informing the outerbacking sheet. v

Figure 2 is a top plan View of one embodiment of the diaper of theinvention formed from the blank of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-section of the diaper of Figure 2 taken along theline 3-3 thereof.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 are three additional top Vplan views of threeadditional embodiments of the diaper of the invention.

Figure 5a is a cross-section of the article shown in Figure 5 takenalong the line 5a-5a thereof. Figure 8 is a top-hand View of the articleshown in Figure 2 with the longitudinal sides folded inwardly.

Figure 7 is a top plan View of one embodiment of the outer backing sheetshowing corner reinforcements. l

Instead of using a coated woven fabric as the backing sheet, the diaperof the present invention is characterized by employing an outer backingsheet of a non-fibrous relatively elastic thermoplastic film` This lm-may be formed of inherently thermoplastic material, such for exampleas: hydrophobic film-forming synthetic resins as a class, preferablythermoplastic and heatsealable, such for example as nylon resins,lpolyvinyl resins, styrene resins, and the like; also hydrophobicfilm-forming organic solvent soluble cellulose esters and lcelluloseethers as a. class, such for example as cellulose acetate, ce1- lulosebutyrate, cellulose propionate, ethyl cellulose, benzyl cellulose, andcellulose ethyl acetate. and the like; and films formed from mixtures ofsuch resins and cellulose compounds. Further, the outer Ibacking sheetmay be formed of nonbrous pellicles which are hydrophilic but are coatedwith a hydrophobic, preferably thermoplastic, material of the classesabove described, such for example as sheets and films of regeneratedcellulose, gelatin, casein, and the like, coated on both sides with athermoplastic waterproof coating comprising a hydrophobic syntheticresin or cellulose compound, or mixture thereof, of the classes abovementioned, with or without wax and plasticizers. Y

It is characteristic of all of the non-fibrous materials used in thepresent invention, whether formed in whole or coated with athermoplastic material that their contiguous surfaces may be sealedtogether by heat and pressure. This unique property is utilized informing the present article.

I2a of the same or different material which are v sealed to the backingat suitable points on op- For the disposable pad there may be employedany of the common types of pads formed of `for example as wood fibrecellulose tissues, cotton batting, soft woven or knitted fabrics formedof water absorbent fibres such as cotton, viscose rayon, and the like.If a non-woven pad is employed it may be reinforced by an inner or ancuter layer of a thin Woven fabric such as scrim, netting, and so forth,to-prevent disintegration upon wetting. In particular, there may beemployed for the absorbent pad layers of carded fibres bonded togetherby an adhesive applied in pre-determined areas or internally bonded bymeans of potentially adhesive binder bres.

Again referring to the drawings, one embodiment of the present diaper isformed by cutting the transparent film into a substantially 'rectangularblank I0 as shown in Figure. 1. The ends II are folded over upon theface of the blank as shown in Figure 2, the resulting article beinghereinafter designated backing sheet I4. The length of the blank and thedepth of the folded ends are so adjusted that when the disposable pad I3is placed upon the blank Ill, the ends I5 of the pad extend for asubstantial depth under the foldedV ends.

The contiguous surfaces of the pockets I2 are sealed together by the useof a solvent, adhesive, or by heat sealing in spaced horizontal areas I6disposed at or adjacent the top edge of each of the folded ends I5 toform pockets I2. The space occupied by the pad isleft unsealed. Thus,the top edge of the pocket is constricted in width and closely confinesthe pad I3 therein, preventing shifting of the pad.

In Figure 5 there is shown a variation of the embodiment illustrated inFigure 2, in which the pockets I2 are not only sealed in the horizontalareas IG adjacent the top of the pockets I2, but the pockets are alsosealed in the vertical areas I1 which are positioned along the edge ofthe ends I5 of the pad I3 and are disposed within the pockets I2. Thus,the widthof the pocket is reduced so that the space between the sealedareas I1 is just suihcient to accommodate the ends I5 of the pad. Inthis way the pad is held tightly within the pocket and prevented fromshifting.

It is not necessary that the pockets `be integral With the backing. Forexample, in Figure 5a there is shown an embodiment in which the backingIla is a sheet material extending only the length of the finishedarticle, and there is superimposed at each end of the backing two stripsareas being so vthus effectively prevent DOSite sides of the pad. Thesestrips may be formed of fibrous or noniibrous material and mayadvantageously be longer than 'backing and/or of the pad, the used forpinning.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4 the pockets are sealed in horizontalareas I la at or adjacent the top edge of the pockets I2,-the sealedpositioned that the unsealed space I8 between these areas is narrowerthan the width of the pad I3. 'I'he horizontal edges of the pad whichcoincide with the sealed areas Ila are cut away; for example, byslitting the pad at right angles When the end I5 of the pad is pushedinto the DOcket I2, the slit .I9 accommodates the sealed area I6a. Thiseffectively locks the end of the pad in the pocket because the enlargedend I5 cannot be withdrawn from the constricted mouth of the pocketwithout excessive tension being applied.

In that embodiment backing sheet is` formed as in the embodiment shownin Figure 2, but the pad I3 is cut so as to provide end sections I5awhich are wider than the unsealed space I8 between the sealed areas I6of the pockets. The enlarged tongues I5a the shifting or removal of thepad during use. l As some of the noniibrous sheet materials employed forthe backing sheet I4 are subject to tearing when punctured with a pin,the corners of the backing sheet I4 as shown in Figure l are reinforcedby disposition within the pockets I2 and adjacent each corner o f afibrous insert 2|. The fibrous` insert may be a sheet of fibrousmaterial, such for example, as a sheet of fibrous paper, textile fabric,felt, and so forth. The insert is sealed within the pocket by adhesive,solvent, or heat and pressure.

For purposes of economy and to prevent stiffening it is preferable toemploy a piece of open mesh light weight fabric such as scrim, mosquitonetting, cheese cloth, and the like for the insert.

It is to be understood that various changesmay be made in the shape andconfiguration of the backing sheet and in the shape and conguration ofthe pad without transcending the scope of the present invention. Inparticular, the backing sheet I4 may be impregnated or coated with anopaquing material, if desired, and decorated or printed in any desiredmanner. The fibrous inserts 2|, in particular, may incorporateidentifying indicia such as a letter 22 by which the backing sheet maybe identified` and its use restricted to a particular infant.

It is characteristic of `the backing sheets employed in the presentdiaper that since they are non-fibrous they are capable of stretching toa substantial extent before tearing. Accordingly, it is not necessary tocut away the center edges of the blank I0 to constrict the center andaccommodate it to the legs of the child. In use, the present backingsheet will stretch around the legs of the child and form a close andconforming lit.

Preferably, the backing sheet utilized in the present diaper has athickness of less than .01 inch and an elongation of more than 25percent. A preferred sheeting is thermoplastic highly plasticized filmformed from a copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate because thismaterial is tough, elastic, and inherently waterproof and h eatscalable.

the width of the extensions being.y

to the edge along the lines I9.-

shown in Figure 6, the

In one embodiment it is contemplated that a retail package would beprepared comprising a multiplicity of diapers; for example, from 100 to200 absorbent pads with a single, preferably disposable, backing sheetprovided with pockets in accordance with the present invention. Wherethe backing sheet is not to be used permanently it is preferred toemploy a cheaper material, such for example as a film of regeneratedcellulose coated with a waterproof coating, such for example as acoating of vinylidene chloride resin and a suitable plasticizertherefor. The vinylidene chloride coating is preferably anchored to theregenerated cellulose by an intermediate coating of a hydrophobicwater-resistant thermosetting resin, such for example asurea-formaldehyde resins, phenol-formaldehyde resins, andmelamine-formaldehyde resins.

When the diaper of the present invention is to be applied to an infantthe longitudinal side edges 20 are folded over the pad as shown inFigure 8. Preferably, the amount folded over is greater toward thebottom of the diaper-that is, toward the feet of the infantand thenarrow end of the diaper is brought up between the legs of the child andthereafter the inwardly folded sides at this end are spread out andfastened, asby pinning, to the top edges of the diaper upon which thechild's back is resting. 'Ihis will cause the pins to be positioned atthe sides of the baby rather than on its stomach.

It will be noted from Figure 8 that by inwardly folding the longitudinaledges the relatively rough edges of the pad are covered, which not onlyreduces chafing but also effectively seals the pad against leakage.Unlike the backing sheets of the prior art, the present backing sheetbeing very flexible, thin.- and substantially elastic permits thisfolding over in the center while allowing both ends to be spread apart.

It is understood that the edges 20 stretch to a substantial extentduring the fitting of the diaper to the child. It is for ythis reasonthat it is not essential to cut the backing sheet into a substantialdumbbell shape. However. the present invention is not limited to the useof a backing sheet which has parallel edges since the backing sheet maybe out out to some extent in the central portion to facilitate properdraping and configuration on the child.

It is also within the scope of the invention to make one end of .thebacking sheet wider than the other end. "Therefore, the expression"substantially rectangular claims is intended to include this shapeembodiments.

I claim:

A diaper comprising a backing sheet formed of a rectangular flexiblewaterproof film of noniibrous organic plastic material having pockets attwo opposing ends, said pocketsy opening toward the center of thebacking, a disposable absorbent pad having its ends disposed within saidpockets, the mouth of each of said pockets having a width less than thewidth of said tudinal edges of said pad being cut so that said pad canbe accommodated in said constricted pocket openings.

ALBERT L. BEST.

REFERENCES crrnn v UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date' Dendoff July 23,1935 Kennard Oct. 15. 1935 Jackson Jan. 26, 1937 Spanel Feb. 24, 1942Number as used in the appended pad and the longi-f

